Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Opportunity awaits as Marshall faces Boise State on ESPN2
9/6/2019 11:56:00 AM | Football, Word on the Herd
Broncos are ranked for the 18th consecutive season
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
BOISE, Idaho – Tonight, in front of an ESPN2 nationally televised audience, the Marshall University football program will experience it all.
Boise State's Albertsons Stadium, a 36,387-seat venue, hugs the Boise River and has picturesque mountains that serve as a backdrop. Inside the stadium, The Blue awaits, and a program that is known for the Statue of Liberty, hook-and-laterals and halfback passes.
The Broncos are also known for winning, and none have done it better since the turn of the century. Boise State is No. 1 nationally in total wins since 2000, No. 1 in winning percentage and No. 1 in points per game. The Broncos are 113-9 at home in that span, including 26-1 in their last 27 non-conference home games.
When Boise State rallied from a pair of 18-point deficits to defeat Florida State last Saturday, the win catapulted the program back in the Top 25 – the 18th consecutive season the program has cracked the national rankings.
"It's a really good environment, but it's not overwhelming," said Brad Lambert, Marshall's current defensive coordinator who was an assistant on Marshall's last trip here 25 years ago. "You've got to go in there and play. The field is 100 yards long, so you've just got to go in there and play."
Marshall players are respectful toward Boise State and what the program has accomplished.
"They're relentless," sophomore running back Brenden Knox said. "Those are the type of teams you get excited for."
Indeed, this is a rare opportunity for the Thundering Herd program. Several players called it a measuring stick game, and the Friday night lights attention on the famous turf against a nationally ranked opponent are what football coaches and players crave.
"When you're in this as a coach or player, these are the kinds of games you want to go play," Marshall coach Doc Holliday said. "Because you play this great game you get opportunities a lot of people don't get, and this is one of them."
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In case you were wondering, Marshall does have a player who has visited Idaho. Of course, no matter which of the 50 states the Thundering Herd visits – if Tarik Adams is on the roster, Marshall will have a player who has been there, done that.
Adams, a 6-foot-4, 333-pound offensive lineman, was outed by fellow lineman Levi Brown this week as the person on the team who has experienced the Gem State. He has visited all 50 states in his young life.
Adams doesn't remember much about his trip to Idaho, and he doesn't recall when he crossed when state No. 50 became a reality.
"I can tell you my favorite state: Alaska," he said. "The sun doesn't go down in the summer, so that's pretty good. My dad loves traveling. He was in the Air Force for 25 years, so when he got out he wanted to see the rest of the states. I'm from southern Georgia, so the ones we could drive to, we drove to. We flew all of the other places. This was his big project."
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In case you were wondering, part two: Marshall has won 10 consecutive games when winning the turnover battle. Boise State doesn't lose often at Albertsons Stadium – only nine times in 122 games this century – but the Broncos' last three losses there came in games in which they lost the turnover battle.
"You can't lose the turnover battle playing a game like this and expect to win," Holliday said.
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There are several streaks on the line Friday night.
The Marshall defense has a 15-game streak without allowing an individual 100-yard rusher. The Herd has also won 19 games when scoring first, which has the attention of the coaching staff.
"I think one of the biggest things we could do this week is start fast," said Marshall offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey. "A team like Boise, if you don't start fast, they will. We have to go out there with our mentality of starting fast and get points on the board."
On Boise State's side, the Broncos have won 17 consecutive home openers.
This will be the 22nd time since Marshall elevated its program to Division I-A/FBS status in 1997 that the Herd has played a nationally ranked team.
"This is what we all dream of as kids," Marshall sophomore quarterback Isaiah Green said. "Everyone wants to play on ESPN on Friday night being the only game on TV. It's a big opportunity for us."
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and a seven-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).
